Tense Kyrgyz vote tests democratic reforms (Reuters)

BISHKEK (Reuters) ? Kyrgyzstan voted Sunday to elect a new president who will determine whether bold reforms to create Central Asia's first parliamentary democracy will succeed in the divided and restive former Soviet republic.

A clean election would signal the first peaceful handover of the presidency in the mainly Muslim country after 20 years of failed authoritarian rule, the culmination of reforms set in motion after a bloody revolt toppled the president last year.

But less than an hour before polls closed, six of the 16 candidates said they would reject the outcome. Some said they had witnessed multiple voting, while others said poorly prepared voter lists had excluded many people from the ballot.

"Tens of thousands of voters couldn't vote in line with their constitutional rights. They are outraged," said Adakhan Madumarov, one of two serious challengers to the Moscow-backed Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev.

Instability in Kyrgyzstan worries the United States and Russia, which operate military air bases in the country of 5.5 million people and share concerns over drug trafficking and the possible spillover of Islamist militancy from Afghanistan.

"We want an honest president who can uphold the law, somebody who will not allow the country to be divided by clans or by north and south," said 43-year-old schoolteacher Aida, who declined to give her second name.

Those who took power after an April 2010 revolution, led by outgoing President Roza Otunbayeva, have watered down the powers of the president and established parliament as the main decision-making body in Kyrgyzstan.

Atambayev, the pro-business prime minister, is the flag-bearer of these reforms. His policies are closest to those of Otunbayeva, who will step down at the end of 2011.

"A parliamentary system is more suited to the nomadic spirit of the people," Atambayev told reporters after casting his vote. "After 20 years, we are convinced that we don't need absolute power, which can transform itself into dictatorship."

Opinion polls have made Atambayev, 55, the clear favorite.

"He's a grafter," said retired construction worker Nikolai Dubovik, 77, who braved the first snow of winter to vote early at a school in the capital Bishkek.

But analysts question whether he can secure the outright majority required at the first attempt. If he falls short, he will face a strong challenger from the south in a run-off.

Per capita GDP in Kyrgyzstan, at below $1,000, is less than a tenth of that in its oil-rich neighbor Kazakhstan. The economy relies heavily on remittances from migrant workers and the production of a single gold mine.

Stamping out graft will also be a major challenge to the next leader of a country that ranked level with the Democratic Republic of Congo in Transparency International's 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index.

"The current authorities have done a lot, but not everything they promised," said 53-year-old architect Kubanbaike Aliaskarov. "The price of gasoline is hitting us in the pocket. Sugar has nearly doubled in price."

NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE

The election threatens to expose a north-south cultural divide. Atambayev, from the more Russian-leaning and industrial north, faces challenges from Madumarov and a second candidate who can draw on the nationalism of voters in the poorer south.

Madumarov, a 46-year-old former national billiards champion, wants to reverse the constitutional reforms to give equal prominence to the presidency and parliament.

The other leading southern candidate, trained boxer and former emergencies minister Kamchibek Tashiyev, has said "millions" would take to the streets to overthrow the country's leaders if they believed the elections to be unfair.

"We had a unique chance to hold honest, transparent and secure elections," said another candidate, Marat Imankulov. "Unfortunately we haven't seen this. The authorities have thus given a reason for people to express their dissatisfaction."

A representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's election monitoring arm said earlier that only minor electoral violations had been witnessed in what he called a "competitive race."

"(There is) the possibility for candidates without impediments to bring their views to the voters," said Douglas Wake, first deputy director of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

But he added there had been "some challenges with voter lists, with the transparency of the work of the electoral administration."

'KYRGYZSTAN IS DIFFERENT'

In the village of Gulbakhor, home to 3,000 ethnic Kyrgyz in the snowcapped mountains around the main southern city of Osh, residents voted overwhelmingly for Madumarov, who has vowed to spend half his time outside the office if elected president.

"He's young and honest, and his pockets are empty. He does not pursue selfish goals," said pensioner Kamchy Aliyev, 82.

But ethnic Uzbeks in the south were voting for Atambayev. Many believe his close ties with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will protect them from a repeat of the June 2010 ethnic violence in which hundreds were killed.

The next president will be allowed by the current constitution to serve a single 6-year term and will appoint the defense minister and national security head.

The field of 16 candidates and the unpredictability of the result mark Kyrgyzstan out in formerly Soviet Central Asia, a region otherwise governed by authoritarian presidents.

"In the context of the region, Kyrgyzstan is different," Walburga Habsburg Douglas, head of the OSCE observation mission, told Reuters. "The people have a genuine choice of candidates, who are presenting different programs."

The hopes of many voters were simpler.

"May God help our children not to kill and steal from each other," said 62-year-old pensioner Jamillya Karashova. "We want peace on our soil. And maybe just a little happiness."

(Additional reporting by Dmitry Solovyov in Osh; Writing by Robin Paxton; Editing by Rosalind Russell)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/russia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111030/wl_nm/us_kyrgyzstan_elections

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Refresh Roundup: week of October 24, 2011

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout attips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Official Android updates

  • Guess which phone's finally getting Gingerbread: the HTC Thunderbolt. Yes, we're being serious. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in, and thanks Eddie for the image!]
  • Gingerbread is now rolling out to the Motorola Droid Pro and Droid 2 Global. [PhoneScoop]
  • The HTC EVO Design 4G wasn't out for very long before it was ready for a maintenance release. It's called version 1.19.651.0, and no change log was found right away.
  • More HTC stuff: the EVO 3D also offers a small bug fix in the form of a security update under the name of version 2.08.651.3. [AndroidCentral]
  • The LG Revolution on Verizon's also officially gaining Android 2.3. [Pocketnow]
  • In the UK, HTC Desire S owners are now finding themselves beneficiaries of the Android 2.3.5 firmware update as well as Sense 3.0. [AndroidCentral]
  • How about a couple for the little guys? CSpire, formerly known as Cellular South, is pushing Gingerbread to its Samsung Galaxy S and Motorola Milestone X. [AndroidCentral(1) and (2)]
  • Sony Ericsson announced this week that Android 2.3.4 is rolling out to the 2011 Xperia lineup around the world. Additional enhancements include 16x video zoom, WiFi DLNA, screen capture capability, ability to attach USB peripherals to Sony Ericsson LiveDock and more.
Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery
  • The Samsung Stratosphere on Verizon has been successfully rooted. [AndroidCommunity]
  • HTC devices receiving the official Gingerbread kernel source from HTCDev this week: The Evo Shift 4G, the Thunderbolt and Droid Incredible. [AndroidCentral]
  • When it rains, it pours -- the Thunderbolt, on top of receiving Gingerbread and its accompanying kernel source, has also found itself on the receiving end of an Ice Cream Sandwich SDK port. As can be expected, it's still in prealpha stages and has a few bugs to work out. [AndroidCommunity]
  • If you're a CM7 user, there's now a file available that will turn your lock screen into one that resembles Ice Cream Sandwich's style. [Droid-Life]
Other platforms
  • Microsoft's pushing a firmware upgrade to the LG Optimus 7 Windows Phone which seems to grace the device with WiFi tethering and the ability to locate hidden WiFi networks. [WMPowerUser]
  • It's not a BlackBerry firmware update, but many people still have a soft spot for BBM and will be interested to know that RIM is putting out version 6.0.1 with a few enhancements. Head to the source to check it out. [MobileTechReview]
Refreshes we covered this week

Refresh Roundup: week of October 24, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Oct 2011 11:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/30/refresh-roundup-week-of-october-24-2011/

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HBT: Don't bash Dodgers for blaming Stow

There has been a minor uproar today since it was reported that the Dodgers, in the context of the civil suit arising out of the Bryan Stow beating, will ask the jury to assign percentages of the blame to the assailants, the Dodgers ? and to Bryan Stow himself. ?The tenor of the uproar: ??Oh my God, the DODGERS ARE BLAMING THE VICTIM!?

Back off the ledge, people. ?This is standard. It is part of any litigation involving injuries. Your indignation at the Dodgers may feel righteous, but it is misplaced.

To be sure, it?s not entirely misplaced. ?The attorney who was quoted ? Jerome Jackson ? put it in a way that could have been a tad more callous if he put effort into it, but not terribly more so:

?You?re saying to the jury, ?They (the Stow family) are saying we?re 100 percent liable. But does that mean (Marvin) Norwood and (Louis) Sanchez, who beat this guy up, have no liability? And, does it mean Mr. Stow himself has no liability? ? I?ve been doing these cases for 23 years and I have never seen one yet in which it didn?t take at least two people to tango.?

Not the way I would have phrased it. There?s no need to say that kind of thing in that kind of off the cuff manner. ?But he?s also not wrong.

California is a comparative negligence state. ?What that means is, in personal injury cases in California, the jury is required to determine responsibility and damages based on the negligence of every party directly involved in the accident.

The classic case: a car accident in which one driver is speeding, the other driver fails to signal and turns in front of the speeder (whose speed he has misjudged) and an accident happens. Both parties contributed to the accident, and the jury assigns percentages of the blame. Let?s say that the speeder was 49% responsible and the turner was 51%.

Is it fair for the one who was 49% responsible to recover 100% of the damages from the one who was 51% responsible? Because that?s how the law used to be everywhere. One is right one is wrong and it?s all or nothing.?People understandably had a problem with this, so most states now allow recovery based on those percentages.

Applied to the Stow case, it?s not inconceivable that a jury ? once it hears the evidence ? could conclude that, in fact, Bryan Stow contributed, say, 5% to the incident. How? Well, remember that video of Stow taunting Dodgers fans?? While we may all conclude that taunting is no excuse for a beating ? I certainly believe that ? a jury will be tasked with making its own determination of that. And of any other evidence that we don?t currently know about. They will be asked to make that impartial judgment. They could decide that Stow was 0%. They could decide it was 5%. They could decide 25%.

But the point is, no matter how unseemly is may feel to ?blame the victim? as it were, the law allows the jury to decide it. And if the jury is allowed to decide it, and there is any chance that because of it the Dodgers? liability could be reduced, the lawyer for the Dodgers is absolutely obligated to raise it. It would be legal malpractice for him not to.

If you hate this, take up your argument with the legislature who made California a comparative negligence state. Or take your argument up with the jury if and when it decides to blame the victim. ?But don?t take it out on the Dodgers. And don?t take it out on the ?lawyer. The man ? while not exactly the most thoughtful speaker in the world ? is just doin? his job.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/27/stop-bashing-the-dodgers-for-blaming-bryan-stow-for-his-injuries/related/

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Will the super committee 'save the economy' — or wreck it? (The Week)

New York ? The congressional panel must "think big" to put the nation's finances in order. But time is running out, and compromise is in short supply

Democrats on the secretive congressional super committee have reportedly proposed slashing $3 trillion from projected deficits over the next decade. But Republicans on the powerful panel are rejecting that plan because it includes $1.3 trillion in new tax revenue. If the six Democrats and six Republicans can't agree on at least $1.2 trillion in deficit savings by Nov. 23, they'll trigger automatic cuts to the Defense Department that economists warn will cost 1 million jobs. Is there any chance both parties will set aside their differences to "save the economy"?

Yes. But it will require rare compromise: The Left and Right can find trillions in savings,?says Douglas E. Schoen at Politico. But first, both sides will have to abandon the "partisanship that plagues Congress" and make concessions. If the GOP gave Democrats new taxes on the rich, and Democrats gave Republicans some spending and entitlement cuts, that would "make a major dent in... the long-term deficit." To really lift up the economy, the super committee has to "seize this opportunity for compromise and pass a bolder and more expansive plan" than either side could reach on its own.
"Super committee should cut more"

Forget compromise. The GOP should focus on 2012: Republicans can't just hold their noses and vote for some gimmicky package because Democrats are holding Defense hostage, Heritage Action COO Tim Chapman tells National Review. Though that's the path of least resistance, it's a losing strategy. "The only way that you win an election that produces a mandate is to paint in bold colors, to create a referendum election. And you can't do that if one side thinks we can win by just kneeling with the ball."
"The House GOP and the super committee"

Democrats would save the economy if Republicans would let them: The bold Democratic proposal proves which side is trying to lead, says Steve Benen at Washington Monthly. Democrats are genuinely trying to cut deficits, which you can't do without new revenue. And they're trying to preserve stimulus spending to boost the economy. But the super committee was "doomed at the outset" because the GOP is out to "shrink government," not cut the deficit. "Republicans aren't willing to trade anything for anything."
"GOP inflexibility stalls super committee"

Thanks for nothing, Washington: "Not to be a bummer," says Joe Caruso at Caruso Leadership, but I predict the super committee members will once again let politics "trump leadership." So we'll get another "undersized solution" that doesn't address our underlying problem. The economy will pay for this failure in the form of another downgrade to the U.S. credit rating ? not because we can't pay our bills, but because our leaders won't do what we're paying them to do.
"Size matters"

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20111027/cm_theweek/220755

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Kirsten Dunst stars in R.E.M.'s new video

Kirsten Dunst has certainly perfected the pixie-like, ethereal actress thing ?"The Virgin Suicides" or "Melancholia," anyone?

Now, she's using her charming superpowers in a mesmerizing new R.E.M. video, shot in black and white with a stationary camera capturing close-up footage of Dunst.

So what's she doing?

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Dunst isn't really doing much of anything during the song, "We All Go Back to Where We Belong," but the video is still entirely watchable.

The actress, wearing a black dress with white flowers, just stands against a white wall and appears to be listening to the song, absorbing the lyrics.

Story: Rolling Stone exclusive: Why R.E.M. broke up

Yet you can't wait for her next expression, as she looks like she's thinking, then swaying, then dissolving into giggles. She looks so sweet and pretty throughout the video, and says nothing until the final frame, where she appears to mouth "it's amazing" about the tune.

MORE: Kirsten Dunst: German citizen

Two versions of the video were made, with poet-activist John Giorno starring in the second version, which has a style similar to Dunst's and was also shot with a stationary camera. In a band statement, R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe described the videos as having "gravity and beauty."

PICS: The rocker chic look

The song is part of the band's new album, titled "Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage, 1982-2011," which is a 40-song retrospective on the group's long career.

The album will be available Nov. 15.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45063662/ns/today-entertainment/

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'Shame' slapped with NC-17 rating

Director Steve McQueen's "Shame," a no-holds-barred movie about a man in the grip of sexual addiction, has officially received an NC-17 rating.

The rating was widely expected and Fox Searchlight knew the film, starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, would likely receive an NC-17. It includes full frontal male and female nudity and graphic sex.

Story: Smart, stylish 'Drive' travels down a dark road

The movie opens in limited ? and with the NC-17, extremely limited ? release on Dec. 2.

According to the Motion Picture Association of America, which rates movies, NC-17 films are "patently adult." Children are not admitted, even with their parents.

An NC-17 rating affects a movie's ability to make money for a number of reasons. Among the most important, many theaters won't show them. The rating also makes advertising difficult.

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The movie is an Oscar contender, and Fox Searchlight is aggressively pushing it for a number of awards including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Director.

"Shame" stars Fassbender as Brandon, a man who is addicted to sex, whose private life is disrupted when his sister, Cissy, played by Mulligan, shows up for an unannounced ? and indefinite ? visit.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45048460/ns/today-entertainment/

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Ashley Greene Mocks Dating Rumors in Latest Magazine Spread


With Kristen Stewart off shooting Snow White and the Huntsman, Ashley Greene has become the female face of the Breaking Dawn marketing campaign these days.

The gorgeous actress is covering multiple magazines this month, from Flare to Allure to the latest example, BlackBlook.

Ashley Greene BlackBook Cover

Inside this issue, the actress jokes about her supposedly packed love life, while also opening up about her dad. Excerpts follow...

Is she dating anyone? "I'm dating everyone! My brother lives in LA and won't even walk outside a restaurant with me. He's like, 'I don't want to be romantically linked to you.'"

What other jobs has she held? "I worked at the dry cleaner across from my school, I worked accounts payable for a company, I did hosting, I worked at a bowling alley, I worked at a boutique. I worked at a hotel, I worked at a restaurant, I did modeling, I worked everywhere. And I didn't get fired!"

What was her father like growing up? "My dad used to be in the Marines, so no one is going to give him flack. At 14, I was being a little brat, I thought I knew everything, and my dad was like, 'I own your bed, your TV, everything.' There was a lot of discipline, and with what I'm doing now, I'm glad for it."

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/10/ashley-greene-mocks-dating-rumors-in-latest-magazine-spread/

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